Raisin-seeder



N-o. 6I4,I78. Pa-tented Nov. l5, |898. W. M. MCCONNAUGHAY.

RAlslN SEEDER.

(Appupaeion med .my 9, 1897.)

(No Model.) 3` Sheets-Sheet 2.

l. @MRM/meow@ Q Symp/M THE ohms PETERS co. Haro-urna'. wAsmNG-rou4 n. c.

No. 6I4,l78. Patented Nov. I5, i898.

W. M. MCCU-NNAUGHAY.

BAISIN s'EEDE.

(Application Afiled July 9, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

@mib/waive@ UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. MCOONNAUGHAY, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

RAISIN-SEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters' Patent No. 614,178, dated November 15, 18948.

Application filed July 9, 1897.` Serial No. 644,017. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM M. MCCON- NAUGHAY, of Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Raisin- Seeders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to raisin-seeders 5 andv its object is to provide an improved form of raisin-seeder which shall be especially adapted for seeding raisins in large quantities.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangements of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed. s

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a top'plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail section through the pressing-roller. Fig. 4 is a detail viewof a portion of.- the sawtoothed roller. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the shedder. Fig. 6 is a detail View of the seedseparating roller.

The numeral 1 indicates a platform or screen upon which the raisins are loosely thrown. The numeral 2 indicates a frame from which this screen is hung by rods 2a. The frame 2 also serves to support all of the remainder of my apparatus, as hereinafter described. A Wheel 3 is held upon the frame 2 and is provided with any suitablemeans to cause said wheel to rotate. A pitman 4 serves to connect said wheel with said screen and imparts thereto, upon the rotation of the wheel 3, a shaking motion. The screen is preferably slanted to a slight degree, and this shaking motion causes the raisins to feed downward thereon. A shaft 5 is mounted upon said frame and carries a pulley 6. A wheel 7, provided withv a series of teeth 7, which may be either inserted or formed integrally with the wheel or cylinder, is mounted upon said shaft to rotate with said pulley. A belt 7b serves to connect said pulley with the first-mentioned pulley. The teeth upon this wheel are preferably slanted to a slight degree, are very closely spaced circumferentially, and are formed with beveled points. These teeth are further arranged in circumferential rows, so

that there is a slight space between each row. A shedder 9 is held upon said frame and consists of a series of plates provided with ends adapted to it around said cylinder and between said rows. '.lhese plates are further provided with sharpened ends at the pointsV of contact with said cylinder, so that any of the raisins that may be between said rows of teeth will be removed thereby. A shaft 10, supported upon said frame, carries a pulley 1l. A belt 8 connects the pulley 11 with the pulley upon the aforesaid cylinder. A pressure-roller is carried upon a shaft 18, being composed of alternately arranged l metallic plates 12 and soft-rubber plates 13. The rubber plates 13 are of slightly-larger diameter than the metallic plates 12', and this therefore lends to said cylinder a corrugated form. The outer exposed edges of the metallic plates 12 are sharpened or beveled to prevent the raisins or other fruit from lodging in the space between the rubber plates 13 and also to facilitate protecting the projecting portions of said rubber plates and from being crushed down too far. It is obvious that if the spaces between the projecting ends of the rubber plates were of greater depth, or, in other words, if the sharpened portions of the plates 12 were removed, the tendency would be to fill the spaces by continuous use of the roller, and, further, by having the said sharpened edges'of the plates 12 projecting outwardly the lateral movement of the projecting ends of the rubber plates is limited. At the same time a resistance is formed adjacent to the periphery of the pressure-roller which will aid in the operation of pressing the fruit against the toothed cylinder. .This roller is so arranged that as the raisins slide down the delivery-screen they fall upon the toothed cylinder and are squeezed between said cylinder and said roller, thus forcing the body of the raisin down between said teeth and leaving the seeds upon the tops thereof, in which condition they are carried forward by the toothed roller. The raisins at this stage are found to have the seeds upon the points of the teeth and the skins stretched tightly thereover. A shaft 14, held upon said frame, supports a pulley 15, which isconnected to the pulley 11 bya. belt 16. A cylinder 17, composed of a wire screen having roo the wires thereon arranged longitudinally with reference to the face of said cylinder and in which the wires are so spaced as to lie between the teeth of the toothed roller, is held upon this shaft to rotate therewith. This cylinder is held with reference to the toothed roller in such manner that when the raisins arrive at this point the screen-wires force the stretched skins down upon the teeth of the toothed roller, causing the skins to break, and thus expelling the seed, which pass between the wires and fall into a convenient receptacle placed below the wire roll. A shaft 18 is supported upon said frame to carry a pulley 19, which is connected with the pulley 131. by means of a belt 20. A brushroll 2l, in which the bristles are formed ot' fine wire, is held upon said shaft to brush ol'f any seed that may remain thereon and a receptacle 22 to carry them oif. It. is immaterial whether the wires be between the rows of teeth or not. The wire screen presses closely against the teeth of the cylinder and causes the stretched skin of the raisin to break. The seeds cause the wires to spread apart sufliciently to allow the seed to pass within the roller or wire screen, and the wirebristle brush and receptacle within 'the same serve, respectively, to dislodge the seeds that may stick to the inner surface of the wire roller and to carry them away. rlhe brush or roller below the wire screen is to take oft any seeds that might be missed by the wire screen. A separator-draper 23 is held upon said frame immediately below the points of contact of said brush with said toothed wheel, and upon this draper the raisins are turned by means of the shedder heretofore described.

The operation of my device having been explained step by step in the specilication, it is not deemed necessary to repeat the same; but it is desired to call attention to the fact that this machine may be constructed as large or as small as may be necessary and may be run by steam or other power or by hand. It is further desired to call attention to the peculiar manner in which the raisins are constantly shaken down upon the teeth and to the peculiar manner in which the teeth on said wheel are arranged.

IIaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In a raisin-seeder, the combination of a frame, a shaking screen mounted in the upper portion thereof, a driving-pulley on the frame below the screen, a pitman connecting the said pulley with said screen,a toothed roller rotatably held upon said frame and operated by said pulley, a pressure-roller held above said toothed roller and comprising altermately-arranged longitudinal peripheral metallic and rubber plates, and adapted to force raisins between the teeth of the toothed roller, a seed-separating roller carried on said frame adjacent to one side of the toothed roller, a cleaning-brush supported by said separatingroller, and a shedder consisting of a series of plates with substantially crescent shaped ends terminating in points and adapted to contact with said toothed roller between the teeth thereof.

2. In a raisin-seeder, the combination with a frame, a shaking screen held thereon, a pulley mounted on said frame, a pitman connectin g said pulley with the said shaking screen, a toothed cylinder rotatably mounted on said frame, a pulley on the said toothed cylinder connected to the aforesaid pulley, a pressure-roller above the toothed cylinder comprising alternately-a rranged longitudinal peripheral metallic and rubber plates, the metallic plates being of less extent than the said rubber plates and having sharpened edges, a second cylinder comprising opposite heads connected by cross-wires adapted to bear against the toothed cylinder and force the raisins closely on the latter to break the skins and expel the seeds thereof, and a lower similarly-constructed roller having a brushroll mounted therein.

3. In a raisin-seeder, the combination with a toothed cylinder, of a pressure-roller cornprising a series of alternately-arranged longitudinal peripheral metallic and ru bbcr plates, the said metallic plates being slightly smaller in diameter than the rubber plates and having sharpened edges.

4. In a raisin-seeder, the combination with a toothed cylinder, of a pressure-roller comprising altemately-arranged longitudinal peripheral metallic and rubber plates, the said metallic plates being slight-ly smaller in diameter than the said rubber plates and having sharpened edges, and a shedder consisting of a series of plates with reduced supportingshanks and crescent-shaped heads terminating in points and engaging the said toothed cylinder` on opposite sides of a vertical diameter thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM M. MCCONNAUGIIAY.

\Vitn esses:

M. K. HARRIS, GEO. F. CHURCH.

IOC

IIO 

